Interviewees gain transparency right

Prospective trainees and pupils can now demand to see notes from job interviews if they feel they were badly treated.

The right applies to all interviewees and comes into play under the Data Protection Act 1998, which came into force in October 2001.

For a 10 fee per document, unhappy applicants can request to view the notes before deciding to launch a discrimination case, when previously notes could be accessed only once a case was underway. Employees can also request to view any notes taken during in-house appraisals without giving a reason or proof of discrimination.

But Jenny Wilkes, publicity officer for the Trainee Solicitors’ Group, urged law students to view the new powers as a last resort. “It would be more useful to follow the normal route of asking for verbal or written feedback of your [interview] performance,” she said. “Any request to see your employment record should be a reasonable one.

“I’d suggest you don’t ask to see your record more than once a year – any more than that and you may start to look paranoid.”